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Divorce

If I was a character in a Disney princess film, I would most likely be the villainess. I kind of fit the profile.

I live alone.

I am childless.

I live with two cats.

I’m not just single, I’m divorced.

I look young for my age.

I dress young for my age.

I own a lot of fabulous heels, dresses and coats.

I love makeup.

At first glance these traits might seem like nothing but put them all together and I’m basically the Evil Queen in Snow White,

The twisted Fairy Maleficent

Or even the aging Mother Gothel in Tangled.

This is me in a mermaid costume, you can see it now right?

In Disney’s universe and in many of our iconic fairy tales the most dangerous threat to a young maiden’s well-being is a scheming, jealous, aging beauty.

The bitter fallen woman antagonist is so ingrained children’s fables you’d think there be some basis in reality for the archetype. We all know bitter angry women but where are the marauding mobs of middle-aged gals destroying modeling schools, poisoning cheerleaders, or torching beauty pageants? There is the popular Real Housewives series on Bravo but those ladies are mostly Disney villainess types attacking other Disney villainess types.

Our most iconic fables were obviously written by men, in a time when women were lucky if they even had a rudimentary education. The theme of an older jealous homicidal female might have made more sense when women had far fewer choices. Until fairly recently most women had four basic paths in life – wife, nun, prostitute or domestic laborer. Women and girls also had little agency in their choices. Most families decided the fate of their daughters, as women had few rights to make their own decisions.

Since it’s 2016 and I’m not limited to whatever choices my family wants for me, I don’t see young women as adversaries. I see someone who will soon learn how hard it is out there to just exist as a woman. I know she’s going to go through situations where she won’t be taken seriously, when she’ll have to use her husband or boyfriend as some type of mouthpiece to get her point across. I know she’ll face disappointment after she sees man after man promoted ahead of her for no reason. I can hear her sigh with disgust when she reduced to nothing more than breasts, butt and legs. I can feel her cringe as a man in power touches her in a way that makes her skin crawl. I can imagine the many painful years ahead of her when she’s been let down by her husband, becomes frustrated by screaming children and disillusioned by white picket fence dreams.

I also reject the notion that I’m in competition with young women for attention from men. A man’s affections aren’t necessarily worth much. I’ve just seen too many marriages fall apart or turn into something less than fulfilling. More than a few married men have sent me awkward emails in the middle of the night, or dropped their wedding ring into their pockets while chatting me up, or confessed that they hated their wives. After these examples and my own divorce I know marriage is mostly a crapshoot. Some are beautiful unions that strengthen both partners but many are sad and tragic illusions. I also can’t help but think of the bad relationships I’ve had with emotionally needy and draining men who demand constant reassurance yet give little in return. Then there are the pretty boys who have to chase every woman they find to help feed their insatiable egos. A good partner is hard to find for both genders and I’d rather be alone than be in a toxic disaster.

Sure there are some younger women who frustrate me. I do get annoyed when I see them treating themselves like doormats just to keep their boyfriend or partner happy. My heart hurts when I see them trash each other or buy into the notion that women must always compete with other women. I roll my eyes a bit when they seem to crave and demand attention based solely on their appearance. I also remind myself that we’ve all been brought up in a culture that reinforces the notion that women are only valued for their appearance. I try to give younger women a break too when I remember what an insecure, attention seeking mess I was at their age.

I’ve often said I want to rewrite all the fairy tales. If I were a Disney villainess I would wrap the young maidens in an invisible cloak that would warm them every time they makes a misstep or danger approaches. I’d bequeath magic potions to detect date rape drugs, weapons to protect against would be predators, and magic mirrors that would offer daily affirmations not criticism. I’d give them glitter bombs to throw on aggressive cat callers and tutus to slap on angry misogynistic bullies. I’d create a kingdom where there were no glass ceilings, no demeaning remarks by men in power, no boys clubs, no cyber-stalkers, no angry internet trolls, no sexual predators, no gender biases, and no assumptions that women are lesser or only the sum of their physical parts. I’d do it all in my fallen woman finery with dresses that are “too young” for me, tight skirts, high heels, full hair and bright red lipstick. I wouldn’t wear a coat made of puppy skins or a high-necked caped gown but I would include all my sisters young and old to celebrate in the sisterhood of womanhood.

Before I get started with this one, I want to indicate that this problem is not gender specific. Both men and women are equally obsessed with or tormented by a former spouse or partner. Since I’m a woman, I’ll use the term Mr. My Bitch Ex-Wife but it could just as easily but a Ms. My Asshole Ex-Husband.

One of the biggest obstacles with dating after a divorce is getting past the damage caused by your former marriage. It’s something I struggle with, as my divorce was incredibly traumatic. I faced betrayal, lies, fraud, infidelity and was nearly destroyed both financially and emotionally. I’ve been the very person I’m going to describe here, and I still struggle to get past it. I’m not as bad as others, but I’ve got much room for improvement.

I’ve found on most dates I’ve had with total strangers, they usually blow their cover in the first 10 -15 minutes of the conversation. It’s happened so often, that I could almost take a stopwatch and time the first comment that will issue a red flag in my head. I’ve heard lines like the following before the waiter dropped off the menus.

My ex-wife is such a bitch

I hate my ex, she’s pure evil

My ex-wife is crazy, insane, psycho, etc.

Isn’t divorce hell, my stupid ex-wife ruined my life

For the rest of the date, literally every topic somehow goes back to their ex-wife. A drink reminds them of the bitch ex-wife, the food, my phone, my dress, a story from my past, my hair, it just doesn’t end. The worst cases will demonize their former partners to such a degree, that I might believe their ex could be a danger to the public.. Their former partner is a complete raving lunatic, hellbent on destroying lives and impossibly cruel.. If I believed everything a Mr. My Bitch Ex-Wife tells me, then they were somehow a hapless victim who got tricked into marrying a she-devil who flipped out the minute their nuptials were final.

Now sometimes they could be speaking the truth. Both men and women can unwittingly marry sociopaths, narcissists, serial cheaters, partners with untreated mental illness, substance abuse problems or violent raging tempers. Marriage and relationships are a crap shoot, and most of us enter into them with the best of intentions. No one has a crystal ball to see into the future and people do change their personalities, or deep-seated problems surface years into a marriage. Regardless, if their conversation revolves around stories about an ex, they’re probably not ready to date someone new. It’s doesn’t matter if they are beautiful, charming, funny or otherwise perfect, if they are that fixated on an ex there’s no room for a new partner. However there is some gray area here. If you’re past the age of 35, you’re not going to find an age-appropriate partner who does not have some complicated baggage. It’s hard for anyone to get past a major break-up or divorce, so it’s not unusual or unexpected behavior to vent about a former partner. It’s also next to impossible to talk about your past if you have to block out 10 years or more to avoid talking about an ex. No one is perfect but some warning signs to look for are the following.

Speak in absolutes – When they speak of their ex, it sounds as if they are describing a fairy tale villain. There are no redeeming qualities, the person is completely evil, mean, cruel, or vicious.

Take no responsibility for picking their partner – Regardless of the circumstances of my divorce I do take full responsibility for choosing my husband. Yes, he lied to me and was incredibly deceptive, but I chose to ignore several warning signs that could have indicated something was up. I wanted to live in denial. I didn’t want to face reality.

Portray themselves as complete victims – In some cases this is true, but how did the person react to abuse? Did they take steps to get out of the marriage? Did they fight back? What did they try to do to change the situation? In some marriages, especially ones with children, people can feel trapped. What they do to save themselves or the situation is very telling. Even just standing up and calling out the abuse can be quite courageous and proactive.

Every ex is crazy – I knew one woman who literally claimed that all four of her ex-husbands tried to kill her. The stories she told were fantastical, and she had problems keeping the details straight. Anyone can make the mistake of marrying or dating someone with a propensity for violence, but it’s highly suspect if every former partner is unstable and violent. Either they love being in destructive relationships, or they are exaggerating their past.

Ultimately it comes down to what you are comfortable with. If you want to take a chance on someone who spends half the date ripping apart their ex, then go for it. You might be happier though with someone who actually wants to get to know you, and not treat you like a free therapist. If he says the words “bitch” and “ex-wife” in the same sentence right after meeting you, it might be a clue that you’ll end up being the next “bitch ex” in his life he’ll complain about to someone new.

Months before I moved to New York City I made the mistake of watching a documentary about rats in the city. I learned rats could chew right through cement and squeeze their entire bodies through holes no bigger than the size of their skulls. Rats must constantly gnaw on anything in order to keep their always-growing teeth a manageable size. Their jaw muscles exert a shocking 12 tons of pressure per square inch. Rats spread disease, fleas and cause fires from chewing through electrical wiring. In moments of extreme stress they attack each other and will even resort to cannibalism. After that film, the mere sight of a battle-scarred super-sized rodent with a flesh tail would cause my heartbeat to quicken and stomach to churn. I found myself in fits of panic if they got more than a few feet from me.

When my ex and I moved from Brooklyn to Washington Heights we discovered a fairly developed rat nest in the roots of a tree in the sidewalk. In the rats would scurry from their nest across the sidewalk and into the alley of a building two doors down from our own. We’d hear screams of people who had made the mistake of walking on our side of the street night after night. My ex-husband counted as many as 20 rats at a time in the courtyard of our neighboring building. We’d watch in despair as they would chew perfect tunnels through solid concrete the city poured over their nest.. Animal control repeatedly set poison traps, and laid wife mesh over the concrete and nothing seemed to stop them.

Then one night, out of nowhere my reaction towards the monstrous creatures changed. I was coming home late at night after a comedy gig and saw one, all by himself sniffing around the subway platform searching for food. He had half of a tail and large patches of baldness along with matted fur. This rat wasn’t doing so well, and for the first time I saw desperation in his movements. He just didn’t run around like every other rat I’d ever seen before, he seemed panicked and fearful.

I couldn’t help but see a part of myself in this poor dying creature. When I first moved here, I was one half of a couple. I had dreams and ambitions that always included the man I thought was the love of my life. Fourteen years later after the terrorist attack on 9-11, a city-wide blackout, Hurricane Sandy, a devastating divorce, the premature death of too many friends, suicidal thoughts and crippling depression I found myself alone. I’m not as young as I once was, my reproductive capacity shrinks by the minute and I’m deeply damaged. In order to pay my bills I work constantly. Some weeks I might get one day off, or work nonstop without a break for days on end.

There are those who criticize me for choices I’ve made, things I’ve written or said, and my “bad” attitude. Of course they have no idea what goes on in my head, or how difficult it might be to come back after such a devastating loss. Things haven’t completely healed and in the past six years I’ve rarely felt strong emotion towards a man for any extended period of time. I don’t know if I’ll live the rest of my days alone. In many ways surviving after the breakup has been harder than the split itself. One day turns into another and nothing changes.

I get harassed on a daily basis with men leering at me, shouting out filth, blocking my path or even grabbing me on the street. Most of the guys who express interest in me only want sex, and will literally not even touch me after the fact. It’s as if I’ve left the room and might as well leave, which is usually what I do anyway. I’ve numbed myself enough to stand it, and swallowed pride and emotions with the increasing dexterity. If that’s what I need to do to survive then so be it., I survive, but only barely.

So when I looked at that rat, desperately hunting for food, doing nothing more but trying to make it to the next day I felt empathy for his plight. I didn’t want to go near the poor animal, and I’m not kidding myself about wild urban rats. They’re a dangerous scourge, the city is right to try to eradicate them and control their numbers. Regardless he was still a little life who never did anything but try to make it to the next day. For reasons beyond his control he was born into a crowded metropolis and will probably die of starvation, poison, or at the teeth of another rat soon enough. For the first time in my life, I had compassion for something I had once reviled. Chances are he never ate another rat, or attacked a human, he was probably just an average rat living off a garbage and dodging subway cars. I sat down on a bench a safe distance away from him and watched his darting and scheming until the next train came.

As much as I’ve been through, and as hard as things get, my struggles and pain have been a gift. Had I stayed married and enjoyed the success of my ex-husband’s thriving career I might have never found empathy and compassion for that sad little animal. I would take what I had for granted, and failed to see that every new day is truly a blessing. I had to lose everything to become more human. My life might not get easier for many years to come, or it could change in an instant. I’m just happy I’m still here and I don’t fear the rats anymore.

As a straight spouse myself, I’m always interested in how the media depicts our situations. In most cases I shake my head as I see cartoonish one-sided clichés. Lately it’s been Christian couples who have vowed to pray away the “same-sex attraction” in a miserable and strained marriage.

So I was a bit nervous about the new Netflix comedy, Grace & Frankie. The premise of the show involves a double divorce of two closeted men who have had a 20-year affair while married to women. In the first episode the announce they are leaving their wives for a new life together and hilarity ensues. Actually most of the humor comes from the unconventional friendship that develops between their two dissimilar wives – The hippie Frankie, played by Lily Tomlin and the former model turned beauty executive played by Jane Fonda. I genuinely loved the show, the characters are three-dimensional and multi-layered, the acting is brilliant and both straight spouses are extremely funny and sympathetic. As much as I liked it, I was somewhat frustrated by the sugar-coated Hollywood take on everything.

Since I write about being a straight spouse and have been very public about my story, I’ve encountered literally hundreds of other straight spouses. I’ve read their stories on private Facebook groups, and listened to harrowing details in my local straight spouse support group. No two mixed orientation marriages are quite the same, and our experiences do fall in a spectrum of outcomes. However, certain patterns are quite common and we often remark that we feel like we married the same person. There was so much good in Grace & Frankie but I feel the need to break down Hollywood fantasy vs. reality.

Hollywood– Both of the gay men find the courage to finally come out to their wives, and reveal their 20 year-long affair.

Reality – I’d say with full confidence that in probably 80-90% of mixed orientation marriages, the closeted spouse doesn’t disclose anything. Most of us find out the hard way after months or years of searching for evidence. In some truly horrific cases, a spouse finds out the truth accidentally.

Hollywood – 20 years of infidelity are forgiven rather easily and the relationships remain close and intact

Reality – For most spouses, finding out your partner was having a secret affair with his or her best friend for the past 20 years would be devastating. The pain and betrayal would cause so much damage, it would be quite difficult to repair any sort of relationship. A person might question literally everything. Which business trip was really a liaison? Which emergency meeting at work was really a hook-up? How many times did my spouse blatantly lie to my face? Twenty years of lies and betrayal are hard to forgive regardless of the circumstances.

Hollywood – Both couples have quick and simple divorces and both gay husbands are greatly concerned for the emotional and financial welfare of their wives.

Reality – How many couples have an “easy” divorce? Most drag on for several months if not years. Some partners do everything they can to block and stall to delay the inevitable. Just like any divorce, a straight spouse will endure multiple court cases, shady legal maneuvers, psych evaluations, hiding of assets and vicious custody battles. Some spouses are completely abandoned when their partner come out. As soon as they are open about their orientation they want to discard their old identity and life. Divorces between mixed orientation couples are no different than the general population – many are brutal, long, inequitable and devastating.

Reality – If a person has lived a lie for a couple of decades, they rarely switch to immediately proclaiming the truth. I’ve known straight spouses who have watched their exes marry a same-sex partner and STILL not label themselves gay, bisexual or even hetero-flexible. They simply insist they’re straight despite their new gay spouse. It’s baffling but it’s incredibly common. Some closeted partners are so self-loathing they retreat back into the closet and marry another straight partner.

Hollywood – Both couples are financially well off, and no one suffers economic ruin.

Reality – Most television shows center around wealthy people. The trials of paying bills on time and making ends meet just isn’t compelling and set designers would rather feature beautiful sprawling homes than sad depressing ones. Grace & Frankie is no different. Of course most straight spouses suffer tremendous financial problems from foreclosure to bankruptcy just like any other divorced couple.

Hollywood – Even though both women are in their 70’s there is seemingly a limitless supply of available partners. Both women have love interests almost immediately.

Reality – As much as loved Frankie & Grace – This is pure fantasy.

Hollywood – Both husbands admit fault for cheating, lying and destroying their marriage.

Realities – This one is probably the most egregious. Although I do know some closeted men and women who do take full accountability for their actions, many more admit no fault whatsoever. Excuses abound from

You knew I was gay the whole time

Everyone knew I was gay

My orientation had nothing to do with our divorce

You made me gay

If you were there for me I would have never turned to men/women

If you were just more understanding about my cheating we’d still be together

It was just sex, it meant nothing, I don’t know why you care so much

I’m not gay, I was never gay, I’m just working some things out

Very few people actually admit they have done anything wrong, in a mixed orientation marriage or otherwise.

Hollywood – Both gay husbands seem to have healthy psychological profiles and don’t have any personality disorders

Reality – Most of us learn through therapists that our exes are narcissists. Narcissists rarely take responsibility for their actions and have a tendency to blame everyone around them for whatever damage or chaos they’ve caused. They lack empathy and view themselves as the ultimate victim. Narcissists are often charming and charismatic but ultimately they are extremely difficult partners in a marriage. Of course our spouses do NOT represent the larger LGTB community as most LGTB people would never marry a straight person. Narcissism has nothing to do with sexual orientation but more to do with someone marrying another person under false pretense. Of course not all closeted men and women who marry straight partners are narcissistic but it is such a common problem that I would be remiss not to mention it here.

There were some things the show got spot on.

Denial & Co-dependence

One of the wives remains in a deep state of denial despite the obvious evidence. She accepts her husband is gay but continues to use him as her main source of emotional support. She acts out in very co-dependent ways and won’t accept that he’s treated her horribly. This is quite common for many straight spouses as denial is the glue that keeps these marriages together for so long. It’s difficult to suddenly turn on the light and see reality.

Resentment & Sadness

The show also captured the deep resentment and sadness that both women experience. In reality it would most likely stretch out much longer and be more intense, but at least the producers and writers allowed both characters to get angry, meltdown, and process real emotions. The disclosure wasn’t just a punchline, it given real gravitas.

Conflicted emotions in adult children

The adult children of both couples also expressed deeply conflicted feelings towards their fathers. As adults they still saw that their fathers had both cheated, lied and betrayed their mothers while setting them adrift in their old age. Despite their love for their dads, they couldn’t ignore their misdeeds.

Realistic gay couple

Another thing I liked about the show is that the gay partners act like any couple, they fight, they get frustrated with each other, they have bad communication skills but ultimately love each other very deeply. They were a fully dimensional and believable couple.

Most mixed orientation marriages would make extremely boring and sad television shows, Our lives don’t get nicely wrapped up in cute 30 minute episodes. Many of us live with emotional damage and shattered trust for years. With all of this though, I’m glad our stories are getting told at all. Just a decade ago it would have been unheard of to have a show explore this topic. I hope one day people may wonder why anyone would marry someone to hide the fact that they were gay. It simply won’t make any sense to do something so against one’s nature.

I laughed and cried while watching Grace and Frankie and I can’t wait for the next season. Even though it’s largely a best case scenario fairy tale, at least both straight spouses are sympathetic and likable and their struggles and obstacles are given respect. I’m thankful to both Fonda and Tomlin for having the courage to tackle this subject and to make an entertaining and funny show about it.

I don’t “Keep up” with the Kardashians. I’ve never watched a single episode of the original or the many spin-off shows about the most obnoxious American family. I purposefully try to ignore any Kardashian news entirely but it still seems to filter through. I know it all started with an “accidentally” leaked sex tape, a friendship with Paris Hilton and the O.J. Simpson trial. There was also a wedding and brief marriage that may have just been for the endorsements and publicity. The family is rich, shameless and made their fortune by doing not much of anything.

Kris Jenner is the woman at the helm of this narcissistic empire, and she’s not exactly likable. In some ways she’s the ultimate Disney villain – an aging yet glamorous woman obsessed with looking youthful, concerned about style over substance, dressed in the best clothing money could buy, and paranoid that her star will eventually fall. I will confess I’m not a fan, but I can’t help but feel a kinship towards her. I’m not rich, I don’t have reality show or any plastic surgery, but my ex-husband was a closeted gay man. When I made the discovery six years ago, my sanity, and financial wellbeing fell off a cliff. I’ve since met countless other straight spouses and some of them, like Kris, found out their husbands were secretly transgender. For many they discovered their husbands wanted to change their gender, but had also changed their sexual orientation and were now having sex with men. To use the word devastating to describe such situations would be a huge understatement. Even phrases like ‘soul crushing’, or ‘life destroying’ don’t really capture the personal torment these women go through.

Now before you exclaim “BUT KRIS KNEW BEFORE THEY WERE MARRIED!” you might want to hear what she had to say about it.

“Why would you want to be married and have kids if this is what you wanted since you were a little boy? Why would you not explain this all to me?

“He was married to me, and he wasn’t who he wanted to be, so he was miserable,” she said. “It was the most passive-aggressive thing I think I’ve ever experienced.”

“This was a conversation that took place in the early ’90s. So, what he was telling me happened a decade earlier, and he never really explained it,” she said. While Caitlyn said she had B cup breasts at the time, Kris said she thought it was a “man boob situation … there wasn’t a gender issue. Nobody mentioned a gender issue.”

“Jenner is emphatic that he told Kris he had taken hormones in the late 1980s up until the year they met, and was equally emphatic in saying there were other side effects besides breast growth,” Bissinger writes.

“He finds it implausible for her to suggest she was not aware of his gender struggle. But he does concede that ‘probably a mistake I made was maybe not having her understand—not the severity of it but that this is a condition you cannot get away from. From that standpoint maybe I blew it away a little bit, sort of ‘This is what I do.'”

From my experience, I’d say with full confidence, that in about 90% of these unions the straight spouse had no idea their partner was gay or trans before the marriage.. Caitlyn’s second wife Linda Thompson revealed that Jenner also didn’t disclose her dysmorphia until after their two sons were born. Caitlyn may have believed that she could control her inner conflict, or that it might eventually go away. Being transgender in many ways is much more difficult than being gay. A gay man can have sex with another man, even if he hates himself for it, or has to lie to do it. A transgender person looks in the mirror and sees a stranger staring back at them. It would be quite difficult to remedy the disconnect in your mind, especially 30 or 40 years ago when less was known about transgender people, and the topic wasn’t openly discussed.

I’ve seen the press bash Kris Jenner as being selfish, emasculating, narcissistic, and cruel towards her former spouse. Some of this might be true, but no one but the two people in the marriage have any idea what really happened. Most of what we know about their marriage is from a highly edited, manipulated and partially scripted reality show. The tabloids also chime in and they have never been known for their accuracy or ethical reporting.

Caitlyn has publicly said that her divorce was 80% because of poor treatment by Kris, and 20% because of her gender identity. I’m sure Kris would most likely have a far different opinion. It’s common for many closeted spouses to say very similar things after a split. They rarely blame their orientation, even though living a lie or in constant psychological torment is definitely going to affect a marriage. Kris didn’t marry a trans woman, she married a man. It’s incredibly difficult for the wives and husbands of transgender people to suddenly accept their partner’s new identity. For some it does work out, and both spouses learn to love the new normal, a few marriages even grow stronger. But for the vast majority of marriages it’s just too much. A straight woman may no longer be attracted to her husband now that she’s a woman, or the transition could be so overwhelming the marriage just can’t handle the strain. Transitioning is a long intense and expensive process that puts both partners on an emotional roller coaster. When a trans woman also proclaims she wants to date men, what’s left for her straight wife? I know infidelity did not play a role in the divorce of Kris and Caitlyn but I bring it up, because it’s so incredibly common in these situations.

We can celebrate Caitlyn for her bravery and strength without trashing her ex-wife. I’m not here to demonize Caitlyn or minimize what she has done for the trans community, but I get sick to my stomach when I see people dragging Kris through the mud over this. I can’t help but see my own divorce and remember the misguided nonsense I endured.

You turned him gay. (No one can turn a person gay)

You need to have more compassion for your ex-husband. (After 9 years of lies and betrayal)

How did you not know? (Because he lied to me from day one)

I can’t believe that you didn’t know you had to have known. (I had to assume my husband was a liar?)

You used your ex-husband (My ex-husband used me)

Your marriage was an arrangement (Yes, and that’s why will pulled our families into it, just to hurt as many people as possible)

You somehow prevented him from coming out sooner (His struggle was his own, and had nothing to do with me)

You are still using your ex-husband for publicity (No I’m actually doing this to help other straight spouses)

The tabloids will continue to rip into Kris without much concern. She’ll return to play the part of the over-bearing matriarch of a self-obsessed brood. We can’t forget that she’s not a cartoon character, but a human being. She just found out her former husband of 24 years is now a woman, and that’s never an easy thing to go through. Ironically thanks to the actions of Caitlyn, we might be closer to a world where a transgender person can be open and honest about themselves well before three marriages, 10 kids, multiple grandkids and their 65th birthday. As much as I can’t stand the Kardashian empire, I do have empathy for Kris Jenner. Caitlyn needed to come to grips with her identity by herself, and Kris had no control over any of it. Maybe they had a bad marriage, maybe they didn’t, but it has nothing to do with Caitlyn’s decision to live an open and authentic life. We can celebrate Caitlyn Jenner without trashing Kris. It would make a great reality show plot to have the straight person as the evil oppressor and the trans person as the ever suffering hen-pecked victim, but reality shows are not real life. In actual marriages things are far more complicated.

The number one article on this blog is simply titled “Dating After Divorce: Why it’s so Difficult in your late Thirties” It’s been read nearly 30,000 times. Nothing else I’ve written comes close to the amount of hits that article gets. It’s certainly not my best or most entertaining piece. It gets a lot of hits because there are so many frustrated people searching for answers.

My younger friends try to empathize, but they have no idea what I go through. When a person is in his or her early twenties, they’re constantly meeting other single people. When they get together their friends a few strangers might end up making out on a couch in the corner. When I go to a social event with folks my age, it’s mostly married couples. While the pairs huddle together to discuss co-op boards, school districts and home renovations, I’m in the corner with the other single gals and gay men swapping sex stories and dick pics. I’m not sure why, but straight single men are rare at such soirees. At the last barbeque a unattached heterosexual man showed up alone, then bragged about his multiple girlfriends.

My married friends really don’t get it. I love them dearly, but they just have no idea what I go through. They wake up next to the same person every day of their lives. They pay bills, worry about the future and plan vacations. They might fight often, they might be at the brink of divorce, they might even romanticize their single years, but they’re still one half of a couple. They know nothing of going to every social gathering alone, buying solo movie tickets, or being set up on horrible dates by well-meaning friends.

One married friend suggested that I change my attitude about dating. He then listed three people who had all gotten remarried after a divorce. I had to point out to him that all three examples were men who had married much younger women. Being single past 35 is difficult for both genders, but the challenges men and women face are different. In two of the examples he gave, the men went on to have more children. My age definitely makes me less attractive to a man who wants kids. When I asked my friend for some examples of women who had remarried in my age range, he had none. He just couldn’t see that my problems with dating are real and not imagined. A simple attitude change was not going to produce age appropriate single men from the sky.

When I go out of my social network most of the interest I get is from men half my age. I try to tell the young ones they won’t understand my sarcasm, my world-weary outlook and my complete lack of shame or social filter. Usually they realize they’d rather be with someone with more of a spark of hope in her eyes rather than the jaded cougar. I don’t blame them.

I want my counterpart. A man who’s had a few of his dreams and aspirations crushed. At least he’ll understand my point of view and understand that life is mostly improvisation. The young ones don’t always get that, and how could they? The roller coasters of romance have knocked people my age around so much they’ve gotten skittish and scared. They’ll pine away for a love they can’t have, complain bitterly about the one who broke their heart and avoid making any type of commitment with a new partner. I do empathize as I’m not much different, but with so much hesitation and apathy it’s hard to get excited about anyone.

So I’ve tried, and I have other things to do with my life than spend all of my free time looking for “the one.”. I’ve accepted that this could be my reality for some years to come. It gets lonely, and there are days when I just want to scream at the top of my lungs and make it stop. Then there are times when I’m so thankful that I’m not responsible for anyone else, I’m in charge of all of my finances and I can paint my bedroom whatever color I want. When I walk by a couple fighting, or listen to a friend rant about their marital problems, I think – I’m free.

When did being in a relationship become the only path to contentment and happiness? Don’t we all know couples who are miserable? Don’t we all have friends and family members who remain in a marriage that is a toxic hell? Don’t we all know men and women who will be with nearly any partner rather than be alone? It’s not the years you’ve put in, but the quality of the partnership. Right now after everything I’ve been through, I can honestly say I know more about myself then I ever did when I was someone’s girlfriend or wife. I’ve discovered more about my strengths and weaknesses in the past 5 years than I did in the first 36. I might not have someone to hold my hand when things get rough, but I also don’t have anyone to pull me down or hold me back. I am responsible for my demise or my success.

I’m single and I might remain so for the rest of my life. I probably won’t have kids. I’ll have no first day of school photos, handmade cards with the word “Mom” scribbled in crayon, or pools of vomit to clean up after an underage drinking binge. I won’t go through the highs and lows of parenthood, and none of this means I am less of a person. A partner and a child do not validate my existence on this planet.

I’m not broken because I’ve been alone for an extended period of time. I am single. This is my life, and there is nothing wrong with me because I choose to live alone, rather than stay in a bad partnership. If two people are happy in a long-term committed relationship it’s a beautiful, wonderful, magical thing, but so is building a future by myself, on my terms and without a toxic partner.

It’s been five years since my marriage completely disintegrated. I found myself suddenly thrust back into the dating pool at age 36. My single friends tried to warn me, but I honestly had no choice. My marriage was dead and there was no saving it. I made every dating mistakes a few times. I’ve evolved from overly emotional, clingy and starry-eyed to cynical, jaded and emotionally bereft. I keep hoping things will get better, but they never improve. I’ve tried online dating to no avail. Most of the guys online never follow through with dates, so I find myself carving out precious time only to resort to sitting in a coffee shop by myself or watching House of Cards on Netflix when my date cancels. You know it’s bad when you think to yourself that doing business is easier than dating in this town. I’ve honestly been treated better in most professional relationships, than I ever have been in romantic ones.

So I’ve devised this list. It pretty much encapsulates what’s become of dating in the city that never sleeps. From what I’ve heard this across the board for men and women of all sexual orientations and gender identifications.

How to Date in NYC

1. Lower your expectations – I’ve gone from thinking “Maybe I’ll get remarried someday” to “Just answer a simple text message, I only sent you one in the past three days.”

2. Become numb – Get rid of all of your highs and lows as they will not serve you.

3. Show no weaknesses – Don’t let on your hopes and fears too soon. Show no signs of insecurity. These things can come later, but since this person probably won’t stick around for any length of time, they don’t need to know any of this. Put your game face on and keep it on.

4. Expect rude behavior – If you send a simple “What’s up?” text, do not expect a response. This is after you’ve been out with the person and seen them check their phone every ten minutes. Expect last minute cancellations, constant excuses for why they aren’t available and angry rants about ex-partners. These are all par for the course.

5. Completely give up on the notion of age appropriate – I’m hit on by men as young as 18 up to around 27 or 28, then the next largest demographic is mid-fifties. I can’t explain this, but I’ve given up trying. I just go with what’s offered.

7. Trust no one – Because we live in a city of strangers, a person has to earn your trust before you just believe anything they tell you. “I had to work” could easily mean – “I was hooking up with one of my other regulars” You might eventually trust your partner, but until then, take what they say with a grain of salt. Note inconsistencies, never assume they are legit.

8. Get used to the phrase – “I’m just so busy” – You’ll say this yourself. But you will also hear it as an excuse for everything.

9. Get used to the phrase – “Oh but you live so far away.” New York City is a big town. We sometimes meet in the middle of this Metropolis in Manhattan. Only later do we realize that a Bronx to Queens commute is just impractical. Although some expect to put in absolutely no effort whatsoever. Basically they will only consider dating you on a regular basis if you live two or three stops away on the same subway line they take every day.

10. Have fun with showing off your dick pic collection, and you’ll get one…trust me you’ll get one. – I don’t know if there is a lesbian or straight woman equivalent, or if this phenomena is as common with every sexual orientation. I only know that straight women and gay men easily collect dick pics and full frontal nudes. I’ve scrolled through dozens in my gay friend’s phones. I’ve gotten several and I never once requested – “Please send me a photo of your cock. Preferably a self-portrait taken with your phone. A bathroom shot would really be something special!” I’ve also gotten requests for photographs of body parts or my mouth wrapped around dildos and various objects. I’ve never complied. Who said romance was dead?

11. Accept your fate as a crazy cat lady/eccentric bachelor. – I know this brings us to eleven. For men I guess the crazy cat lady equivalent is the weirdo eccentric bachelor. We all know a few. The guys who never got married and have that apartment just full of strange things from their youth. It’s small and rent stabilized and they’ve lived there for years. They’ll probably die there but they won’t be eaten by their pet cats, instead someone might stumble upon their mummified corpse after neighbors complain of the smell or they are a final no-show for their eviction in housing court. I hope that’s not my fate, but things aren’t looking so good lately.

Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that,” Perry said. “I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way.

Conversion therapy – sometimes known as reparative or “sexual reorientation” therapy – is a dangerous practice based on the premise that people can change their sexual orientation, literally “converting” from gay to straight. Conversion therapy has been discredited or highly criticized by virtually all major American medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional counseling organizations.

People who have undergone conversion therapy have reported increased anxiety, depression, and in some cases, suicidal ideation.

You might also think that homosexuality is a disease, but the medical community would strongly disagree with you. To quote psychiatrytoday.com

In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association’s Board of Trustees removed homosexuality from its official diagnostic manual, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Second Edition (DSM II). The action was taken following a review of the scientific literature and consultation with experts in the field. The experts found that homosexuality does not meet the criteria to be considered a mental illness.

I hate to break this to you but, gay men and women have existed in every culture on the planet, long before a few scant condemnations in the Old and New testaments of the Christian bible Despite the importance some Christians have placed on the evils of homosexuality, Jesus Christ didn’t think it was worthy of discussion.

Rick, do you ever wonder what happens to gay men and women when they try to force themselves to live a lie? Do you think that it’s just a matter of self-control? Do you think once they get married, settle down and have a few kids that those urges and attractions will vanish?

Well Rick, I’ve got news for you. Most mixed orientation marriages end catastrophically with both partners greatly damaged. I was in one of those marriages. I had no idea my husband was gay when I married him. He was full of so much self-hate about his sexual orientation he thought he could change himself. He was basically lying to me and everyone else close to him in his life for years. He tried desperately to change, but realized he couldn’t. He is gay. He was gay before we got married, he was gay during our marriage and he’s gay now. It’s a fundamental part him. It’s not a weakness of moral character, it’s not a lifestyle choice and it’s not an addiction. He lived in misery because he was desperately trying to be something he wasn’t. Now that he is out and proud, he’s a much happier person.

His self-loathing and shame came from the false belief that being gay is a fault or shortcoming. When I first confronted my ex-husband about his sexual orientation he would have given anything to change it. Luckily for both of us, he has grown to accept and love himself. We are both better off now living authentic lives and not trapped in a sham marriage.

There are millions of other straight spouses like me all over the country. Most of these marriages leave a path of destruction in their wake. I know women who have buried their husbands with full-blown AIDS, others who have contracted the virus from their spouse. I have heard of suicides and even homicides when these marriages disintegrate Parents who lose access to their children, and children who now have to split time between two homes. I’ve met damaged and broken men and women on both sides of these doomed partnerships. I suffered from a massive depression, I was nearly financially destroyed, I’ve had to accept that I’ll probably never have my own children and at my worst I was suicidal. It’s hardly been an easy road for me, and I know it’s a daily struggle for many of my straight spouse counterparts.

If our spouses were happier in their own skin, if they could envision a happy and healthy life for themselves, they never would have entered into these fraud marriages. If you claim to champion family values, you would never encourage a gay person to try to force themselves to be straight. You would never expect someone to try to change something so fundamental about themselves. Rick, do you think you could force yourself to live as a gay man? Do you think you would be happy if every day you had to live a lie?

Your words have consequences. You lead a state with over 26 million people. Every time you condemn homosexuality you reinforce the bullying, the discrimination and hate that leads to misery, self-destructive behavior and even suicide. LGTB youth are more than twice as likely to try to commit suicide than their straight peers. When you call for medical quackery like reparative therapy you cause more suffering. Homophobia affects more than just the gay people you target. The hate splinters out like broken shards of glass cutting into everyone around the intended target. Relationships between parents and children are destroyed and families are torn apart, and all for something that cannot be changed. My own life was greatly harmed by this nonsense and I’m not going to be silent when you perpetuate myths and misinformation.

Homosexuality is just another way of being human, and there are a lot of beautiful LGTB human beings in your state. They just want to live their lives authentically and without shame. They want to raise families and grow old with their partners. They just want to live like any other Texan. You can remain in the dark ages as states around the country legalize same-sex marriage and end discrimination against LGTB people. I know not every Texan agrees with you. Hopefully more and more of them will speak out against this bigotry. Which side of history do you want to be on?

Like this:

If I were to write a fairy tale for young children, especially young girls it would go something like this. Once upon a time there was a young girl who lived in tiny beaten down shack. She didn’t have a lot of money and her parents were poor. She decided she was going to get out of her situation no matter what, so she worked hard and went to school. Despite the obstacles she started her own company and employed a bunch of other poor kids to come and work for her. It wasn’t always easy and she nearly lost everything several times but she kept working hard and survived. At some point she got married, and the guy was alright. She also had children and loved them with all of her might. She taught he kids to dream big, work hard and try to do right by their fellow-man. Her marriage didn’t work out and she got a divorce. She continued to live as happily as with her children and company. When she died she looked back at her greatest achievements – creating jobs for so many other poor kids, and her beautiful children. The end.

It could be easily rewritten where she’s an employee but takes great pride and satisfaction in her work. I could also re-write it where she doesn’t have kids, and gets fulfillment through helping others or by using her creativity. The example of fairy tales is a powerful one for me since I work with kids in my day job. I can’t help but see how much influence our myths, legends and pop culture have on young impressionable minds.

Why are we only told one story our entire lives? With a few exceptions there are few fairy tales or fables that do not include weddings as part of a happy ending. Why are weddings mostly absent in fairy tales geared towards boys? Why do so many of our fables END with a marriage followed by the phrase “Happily Ever After.” Every married or divorced person knows that a wedding is not the ending, it’s the start of a new chapter. A fairy Godmother does not descend from heaven and make everything magical on the day we say “I do.” In many ways everything gets harder, as the stakes get higher.

If our marriages end in divorce we are not lesser than our married counterparts. We all know dysfunctional and damaging marriages. Just because two people remain married doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a happy or healthy union.

The wedding industry is big business the US. With some estimates being as high as $51 billion dollars spent annually. Yet despite all the extravagance and hoopla fewer people are getting married. The media decries this trend as some sort of crumbling of our social fabric. Personally I think it’s a good thing. Marriage is not necessarily the end all, be all of happiness. Not everyone thrives in marriage and it’s much easier to walk away from a relationship that’s not legally binding.

When I was 27 I gave up my job, relocated to New York City and left my friends and career behind for a man I thought I would be with forever. From a young age, we’re encouraged that to sacrifice for love is not only acceptable but a nobel thing to do. Now it’s one thing to stay with a partner in a time of crisis, staying with them during a prolonged illness, or supporting them in a time of crisis. That is a beautiful thing and a testament to the human experience. Our bonds with each other can reach such depths that we do want to sacrifice for the ones we love. At the same time, the emotions I have for my family and friends are just as strong as what I could have for a romantic partner.

We need a new narrative. We need to stop telling the same story. Marriage isn’t the only recipe for happily ever after, and honestly happily after doesn’t exist. We live, we love and go through a lot in our lives and for most of us it’s nothing like a fairy tale. I’d rather have a life with ups and downs than some Disney fantasy anyway.

Susan, I know you really think you’re helping out young women by encouraging them to nab an eligible bachelor while they’re still in college. Interestingly though the divorce rate is much higher for women who marry for the first time under the age 25. If women actually take your advice they might pick what you think is a brilliant mate, but if they marry him before age 25, they’ll battle the same genius in divorce court later.

Here are your eight reasons why women in New York City can’t get a husband. I know this article was published back in March, but a friend just sent me the link and I felt compelled to respond. I left my husband nearly five years ago, and haven’t had a serious long-term relationship since. You claim to know WHY women like myself are still single, so I’m going to answer each one of your reasons with my own personal experience.

1. We drink too much – I actually don’t drink alcohol often, and do absolutely no drugs. I’m a vegetarian and you would probably encourage me to seem less complicated and start eating meat. Well that’s not going to happen.

2. We spend too much time on iphones and other electronic devices – My ipod has been broken for the past several months. I miss it. The earbuds drowned out the constant cat calls. I live in a less gentrified area of Brooklyn, and it never stops. Am I supposed to stop and engage an intoxicated gentlemen the next time he makes a comment about my ass? Maybe that’s why I’m not meeting Mr. Right!

3. We wear too much black – Of course that’s it. Black makes us look like witches and men hate witches. I know Angelina Jolie gets no attention and she wears black all the time. She even plays a witch in Maleficent and everyone knows, men can’t stand the sight of Angelina Jolie.

4. We are dating too many guys at work – I’m self-employed and have no co-workers so I’m not sure how I’m doing that. I guess I’m dating myself too often.

5. We spend too much time with our gay friends – This is New York City, are you out of your mind? I don’t just have gay friends. I’ve got transgender, gay, bisexual, pansexual, polyamorous and several who identify as gender-flexible. I’m not giving up my non-heterosexual friends.

6. We are ignoring our biological clocks – I know I’m 41 and am well aware of it. Am I supposed to get pregnant by any random man? That would seem a bit reckless. How about I just accept it’s not going to happen and focus on something else. Adopted kids need homes too. I don’t have to grow one in my womb.

7. We hook up too much – OH HOW I WISH THIS WAS TRUE! Honestly I’m fairly picky, I’ve got trust issues, and I just don’t feel safe hooking up with most of the guys who offer it. It’s not their looks so much as its how they treat me. If a guy is rude, I have very little interest in sleeping with him. I also don’t like bad sex, and hookups are like rolling the dice. I don’t know the last time you hooked up with anyone but it can be absolutely dreadful.

8. We overly rely on NYC conveniences – Actually I don’t. Take out is pricy. You also implied this lifestyle is making us fat, but New York City women are some of the fittest in the country. And Susan you are a full-figured gal, I would just celebrate it and stop blaming General Tso’s chicken.

So that’s your eight reasons, and I answered every one of them. Now I have a few questions for you. Susan you’re divorced. How did that go? My divorce pushed me to the brink of madness and into a literal death spiral. I had massive depression, anxiety attacks and suicidal tendencies. I eventually went on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. I’m fine now, and drug free but, It was a regular horror show. I’m sure your divorce wasn’t easy. Since marriage is about a 50/50 chance nowadays why would you promote anyone to enter into a legally binding relationship that could end in a catastrophic divorce?

Here are my five reasons, why I doubt I’ll ever say “I do” again.

1. I never want to combine my money with another person – This is the MAIN reason I never want to get married again. I used to work with my husband, and when my marriage fell apart my income evaporated. Now I make my own money and decide how I spend it. It’s amazingly liberating and I never want to go back to even a joint checking account.

2. I don’t want to move – I like living in Brooklyn. If I choose to move, it should be my choice.

3. I’ve accepted I’m never having my own children. – If I do decide to have a child, I’ll probably adopt. The adoption process is long and expensive but having a baby at my age is not without problems. I’ve also accepted that I might never be a parent. A lot of women never want to have kids. I did, but my life didn’t work out as planned. I don’t feel like a failure because I won’t be a parent.

4. I feel complete and fulfilled as a single person – I know this might shock you. I don’t know how you manage as a single person yourself. The daily torment must be getting to you. You must be so miserable that you write books encouraging young women to desperately get what you don’t have. I would love to date someone special but the longer I’ve been single the more I’ve grown to love it.

5. I never want to get divorced again – If someone wants to get married four or five times good for them. The prospect of going through another divorce though is so terrifying to me, I think I’ll avoid doing it again.